Starc not in Test side in Warne’s world

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The scintillating form of Mitchell Starc clearly hasn’t rubbed off on Shane Warne, who can’t find a spot for the paceman in his best Australian Test side.

Warne on Monday released the second instalment of his manifesto for re-invigorating the game and the national team, calling again for selectors to do away with the controversial rotation policy and name the best available side for each match.

Offering another free insight into `Warne’s world’, the spin king named his preferred Test, one-day international and Twenty20 sides.

Starc was included in the limited-over forms but was left out of the Test XI, despite a red-hot run of form which included five-wicket hauls in his past two ODIs and an impressive showing in the Test series against Sri Lanka.

Warne instead preferred untried Western Australian paceman Nathan Coulter-Nile, who was included in the side for all three forms of the game in the spin king’s manifesto.

Batsmen Phillip Hughes and Ed Cowan were also notable omissions from Warne’s top Test side, which featured limited overs international Callum Ferguson in the middle order.

Warne also suggested T20 skipper George Bailey be dumped but remain in the one-day team, with Matthew Wade taking the T20 captaincy.

Warne hit out at Cricket Australia for not delivering on its mission statement.

“It’s simple, select your best 11 for each form of the game, not the same 11 but your best available team at all times,” he wrote in the blog on his website.

He also suggested scrapping field restrictions for one-day cricket and increasing the over allowance for bowlers in Twenty20 cricket to five as opposed to four.

In the first instalment of his blog, Warne nominated former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming as a good option for national coach and said his former teammates Damien Martyn, Mark Waugh and Glenn McGrath would make good selectors.

Warne’s rant is not over, promising parts three and four later this week.

Warne probably left Starc out because he had the audacity of backing his teammate, Nathan Lyon when Warne was spruiking himself for a return to the test team as a spinner. His vanity seems to know no bounds.

Having said that, you shouldn’t take Starc’s white ball form as an indication that he is going to be as good in Tests.

But yes, I’d take Starc in Tests over NCN any day of the week.

For what’s it’s worth – Warne’s selections have always been dodgy and tilted towards his mates. How else could you explain his putting Mark Waugh at 12th and Steve at 26th in his “50 Greatest Cricketers” list from a few years ago.